Remember, Remember the 2nd of November
In the spirit of doing what I want to do when I want to do it all this month, I went to see Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein today. It was an impulse decision when I found out that Netflix released it in select theaters prior to its Netflix release on 11/7/2025. Despite me thinking that it could have been another hour longer, I still think it was well done. I say it could have been longer because the first couple of hours is Victor Frankenstein telling his story and then the last 30 minutes is Frankenstein telling his share of the story, not necessarily from the beginning of his existence but after he was left for dead. This isn’t about a critique of the film though… this is about how Guillermo takes a horror story and turns it into a tale of humanity and empathy.
Empathy is something I’m constantly looking for even when I think I’m not and not so much just for myself but with and for everyone. We are living in times where people are more comfortable opting out of empathy than leaning into it, even to their own detriment. Just from observation, the opt out comes from the unspoken rule that once you’re aware of something, you become responsible for doing something about it… that doing something often requires work a lot of people don’t want to do. Having empathy involves the work of giving a fuck… something else a lot of people don’t want to do.
The usual Frankenstein stories are usually discussing how terrible and rageful of a monster Dr. Frankenstein’s creation was. Multiple tellings of “the monster” are people focusing on the impact of its behavior, and rightfully so. He’s essentially Incredible Hulk but instead of green skin, it’s marbleized light gray and whereas Hulk just wants to be left alone, Frankenstein wants companionship. He was more innocent and childlike in this film than any others have every portrayed him to be. I’m sure this was no easy task since the man playing him (Jacob Elordi) is a towering 6’5 feet tall. He was brought into the world, knowing nothing other than his creators name, Victor. He was extremely trusting of Victor until Victor showed he was never to be trusted.
The level of awareness that was expected of “the monster” was insane and reminded me of adults who hold children to levels of emotional regulation they have yet to reach. Just as parents expect children to behave specific ways, Victor expected Frankenstein to understand things he had yet to experience. So the crash outs that seemed over the top for Frankenstein, actually were warranted. However, it was kindness and empathy that created space for something other than anger in Frankenstein’s young life.
The way Guillermo told the story reminded me of cause and effect, especially when we consider why Dr. Frankenstein became the self-absorbed and obsessed person who eventually created a “monster”. Victor was loved by his mother and tolerated by his father. So when his mother died, so did his softer side that was directly connected to her. His father also dying left him to center himself, his thoughts, and his ambitions. I guess I really like this version of Frankenstein because all the humanity that was put on display; it wasn’t just a show of the good parts but also the darker side of things.
This was a Sunday with time well spent.
